


Goodbye Eddie

by kaylatheginger



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alcohol, Drinking, M/M, Nightmares, Sad boi hours, symbrock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-18 21:23:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16524920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaylatheginger/pseuds/kaylatheginger
Summary: Eddie misses his symbiote. But little does he know his symbiote is still with him, just too weak from the fight with Carton and Riot to make themselves known to their host.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a difficult time for Eddie Brock lately. For one, his body became host to an alien creature that ate people's heads off (not to mention would eat his own insides if not given the proper chance to feed). It had been an awfully confusing time as he hadn’t known why he was so overcome with hunger and the lengths he’d go to fulfill that hunger. And the whole part where an alien was cohabitating with him in his own body. Yeah, that. And then just as he was getting used to said alien (dare he say even fond of it?), the symbiote had to go and sacrifice itself to save Eddie from a rich prick named Carlton Drake and his symbiote Riot. And now he felt terribly lonely in the shell of his body and his own voice in his head. You’d think he’d be relieved to have his mind and body back to himself, but Eddie found himself calling out sometimes, asking for Venom's opinion on something, only to fall short remembering they were gone. 

Venom. 

It couldn’t have been easy to make a decision like that, to turn your back on your own species. And when asked why, the symbiote had said it was because of Eddie? Why him? What the fuck kind of answer was that? 

Eddie, who had hurt the person he cared about most, and for what? Some stupid bit for the Brock Report that wound up getting him fired anyway? And although Anne said she was over it and she was there for him if he needed her, he knew she couldn’t have been. Over it, that is. Anne had been plenty there for him, showing up consistently, even though it probably hurt to do so. Even when he certainly didn't make it easy for her. But he knew Anne. He knew he had fucked her over and there was no way she could completely forget and forgive him for that. 

And now he’s lost Venom too. He was starting to think he should be the one called Venom. He seemed to be poison, after all. At least, to those who cared about him. 

He relived that moment in his dreams every night. The big explosion of Drake’s ship with him and Riot inside and Venom acting as parachute for Eddie before letting go to be swallowed up by the flames. 

**Goodbye Eddie.**

Eddie woke up every time, gasping for air as his dream self smacked the surface of the water and was thoroughly submerged. It always took him a few minutes to realize where he was and that he was not in fact drowning. Tonight was no different. His chest heaved as he gulped down air with greed and sweat poured out of him like a hose. He placed one shaking hand to his chest, feeling its rise and fall, before getting up from his creaky bed to find something -- an old shirt it looked like -- to wipe off his pool of sweat. 

He filled a cup to the brim with ice cold water and chugged it down in a matter of seconds, then went to the bathroom and braced his hands on either side of the sink, looking up into his reflection. He half expected to hear a deep voice in his head, some snarky comment no doubt. Probably telling him to get over it already. It happened, and there’s nothing you can do to change it now. 

“I’m sorry Venom,” he said to his reflection. “I’m not strong like you. I –” his voice broke, but he refused to let himself cry. “I’m trying so hard not to fall apart right now.” 

He knew there would be no response to his statement. That didn’t do anything to help how the emptiness inside him hollowed him out, left him feeling unwhole.

As if on some psychic cue, his phone rang. It was Anne. 

He sighed, bringing the phone up to his ear. “Hello?” 

“Oh, great. You’re still up.” He pulled the phone away to check the time. 

“Jesus Anne. It’s nearly three in the morning. What’s this about?” 

“Oh, I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, but you just nearly did.” 

There’s was a moment of silence on the other line before Anne cleared her throat, “Eddie, are you still having the dreams?” 

Eddie tensed his jaw. He hated that Anne had been with him, insisting on staying over to look out for him, when he’d had the nightmare. He’d yelled out in his sleep and woke up the same way he always did, disoriented, scared, and lonely. He hated how weak he must have seemed to Anne. 

He didn’t say anything and Anne interpreted his silence correctly. “Oh, Eddie. It’s been nearly two weeks. Maybe you should talk about it with someone? I’m not saying it has to be me… but Eddie, you know I still care about you, right?” 

“And what am I exactly going to say, Anne? What can I say to someone that would make sense? ‘Hi yes, nice to meet you, I used to have an alien symbiote up my ass, but I didn’t mind it, in fact, I even liked the thing and now he’s gone because he sacrificed himself for me and I’m lonely and I miss him, but that’s normal right?’” 

Anne was silent, probably processing all Eddie had said. 

“What’d you want Annie?” 

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay…” 

“ _That’s_ why you called at three in the morning? What is this about, really?”

Anne sighed. “Well Dan got called into work a little while ago and he’s still there and… I kind of need a ride home.” Her next words came at a rush and Eddie’s sleep-deprived mind struggled to keep up. “I didn’t even think that you’d be up, I just thought I’d check. And you should probably just go back to sleep anyways, I know you’ve been going through a lot and I didn’t really want to bother you that much –” 

“Annie where are you? I don’t mean to sound harsh or anything, but why can’t you just get a cab or an Uber?”

“Well, I might have actually lost my wallet. And my phone is about to die so I was just going to call around real quick and –”

“Where are you? I’ll come get you.” 

“You know that bar we used to go to sometimes, The Irish Sisters?” 

“Yeah, I remember. I’ll be there in ten.” 

“Oh thank you so much, Eddie, you’re –” 

But Eddie didn’t hear what he was exactly because the call dropped. Anne’s phone must’ve finally died. It was strange, her being at a bar by herself and losing her wallet. Didn’t sound like Anne at all. 

Eddie finished lacing up his shoes before locking up his apartment. He no longer had his motorcycle, well he did, it was severely damaged and needed a lot of fixing up. In the meantime, he drove around an old Chevy truck he got for cheap off Craigslist. He hopped in and brought the roaring engine to life, rubbing the rest of sleep from his eyes before reversing out of the parking lot. 

He arrived at The Irish Sisters not long after, traffic wasn’t too bad at three a.m. even on a Friday night. He recognized Anne’s figure slumped on a bench outside the front of the building. He pulled up to the curb, letting his truck idle there. He rolled down the window and shouted out, “Anne,” but she didn’t seem to hear him. He huffed, getting out of the truck and walking up to her. 

“Anne, are you okay?” He took her shoulders and shook her slightly. Her hair, usually perfectly straight and tucked away, framing either side of her face, now looked disheveled, like she’d slept on it for a while. “Annie, wake up.” 

Her eyes cracked open and she smiled up at him. “Hi, Eddie.” 

He couldn’t help but give a short laugh. “Hi, Annie. I’m here to take you home, remember?” 

She straightened suddenly. “Oh, oh yes. I forgot. I must’ve fallen asleep.” 

“It’s okay,” Eddie said, helping Anne to her feet. What are you doing here by yourself anyway?” 

“Oh, I just needed a night, you know?” 

“You needed a night?” 

“Yeah, a night,” She shrugged. 

“And you lost your wallet?” 

Anne let out a long groan and leaned her face into Eddie’s chest. He could smell the alcohol coming off her in waves. “Yes, I don’t want to think about it. I already set my cards to freeze so no one can use them. I just want to go home.” 

Eddie rubbed her back a moment, not sure what to do. “Here, you get in the car and I’ll go in there and see if anyone’s found it.”

“Can’t Eddie. They’re closed.” 

Eddie found this to be true as he walked up to the front doors and found them locked. 

“Okay, well you’ll just have to call them tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll have it.” 

Eddie helped Anne get into the passenger seat and then slid into the driver’s seat himself.

“I’m sorry, Eddie.” She laid back against the seat, her eyes closed. 

“It’s okay, Annie. We all gotta have nights like these every once in a while. Builds character.”

“You’re so good, Eddie.” Anne said quietly, on the verge of sleep. 

Eddie didn’t say anything. He just stared out at the road as he drove. 

*

He pulled up in front of Anne’s place. Anne was passed out, so he found the spare key she’d always kept under the potted plant on the small front porch and started to turn the lock when the door opened quickly. Dan was standing there looking more than worried. “Anne? Oh.”

“Don’t worry, she’s okay. She lost her wallet though.” Eddie said and he walked back to his truck to get Anne. He unbuckled her and picked her up gently. 

“What happened?” Dan asked, hovering over the pair of them as Eddie brought her in and placed her on the couch. 

“She called me, said she needed a ride home. Looked like she’d been drinking,” Eddie said, shoving his hands in his pockets, looking around at the place he not so long ago thought of as home. “Hey, is everything okay? She said she needed, ‘a night’.” 

Dan sighed. “We kind of had a bit of an argument earlier today. But I didn’t know she’d go an do this. I was so worried when I got home and she wasn’t here.” 

Eddied nodded, not entirely sure of what to say. “Well, she’s home now. She needs to call The Irish Sisters tomorrow and see if they have her wallet. And um...” Eddie swallowed awkwardly. “I hope you guys work out whatever it was you guys were upset over. I’ll see you around.” 

He was just turning to leave when Dan grabbed him by the shoulder and in for a hug. It took him a moment to recover from this unexpected action as he slowly lifted his hands to pat Dan on the back. 

“Thanks, Eddie. You’re a good person.” That was the second time within the span of an hour that someone said that to him. He knew they meant it genuinely, but he couldn’t seem to accept it. 

“What am I seeing right now? What is happening?” They heard a groggy voice from the general direction of the couch. They let go of their awkward embrace and saw Anne sitting up, a confused expression on her face. “Oh don’t let me intrude,” Anne said, waving a hand as if for them to continue. 

“What, no. I was just thanking Eddie for bringing you home,” Dan flustered as the tips of his ears went red. 

Eddie lifted his hand, in a manner of farewell. “Well Anne, Dan, it’s been great. I’ll see you when I see you.” He left before they could say anything else to him and when he exited the room he could hear them bickering quietly and then silence. A quick peek back through the window showed the two of them being more than forgiving to each other, bodies pressed together. Eddie sighed, closing the front door behind him and replacing the key back to where it belonged. He slid back into his truck and headed home. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep? I don't know about sleep? It's summertime!

Back on their home planet, they'd never experienced an emotion quite like this. But then again, back on their home planet, they'd never had a connection to a host quite like the one they did with Eddie. And right now, the continuous emotional turmoil that came from Eddie hurt in a way they’d never known. And on top of that hurt was the hurt they felt for causing Eddie so much hurt. It all added up to way too much hurt. Too much for Venom to bear in their weak state. 

The blast from the explosion of Carlton's rocket nearly killed them, in fact they thought it surely would, but it had been worth it – all to protect the human Eddie Brock. But now, Eddie was not happy, as they thought he would be. They'd stopped his planet from being invaded by their kind, why had he not rejoiced? He had all that hurt, and it'd taken Venom awhile to realize it was there all because of them. Because he thought Venom was really gone. 

As touched as Venom was at the prospect of Eddie caring for them as much they cared for him, it tormented them seeing Eddie suffer like this without being able to do anything about it. Yes, Venom survived, but was incredibly weak. So weak that they still couldn't even make their presence known to their host. They weren’t quite sure how long it had been since everything went down. There was a period of nothingness. And then gradually, like a dimming light coming to brightness, they were back, they were sentient, and they were incredibly feeble. They knew what they really needed was some sustenance. And if they didn't feed properly soon… well they didn't want to think about that. All they could do for the time-being was rest and build up the strength to finally speak to Eddie. Then Eddie would help them find food, they were sure of it. 

The nightmares were certainly the worst. Venom sat front row to them, unwillingly. Each time when Eddie woke up, they wanted to soothe the pain away in whatever way they could. They wanted to reach out and hold him tight and let him know everything was okay. But they were stuck, hidden in a corner of Eddie's mind. 

They thought Eddie could sense them, even if he didn't realize they were there. Some part of him recognized them, but they were still invisible to the mental scope of his eyes. His thoughts seemed to almost paused over where Venom resided momentarily and then continued on. 

Each time Eddie thought he'd heard something in his mind that reminded him of Venom, they grew anxious and excited. Maybe this is the moment Eddie would find them and see them for what they were. _Yes, Eddie. We are here._

But of course, Eddie could not hear him and he remained blind to their existence. They knew Eddie felt alone, and that it was hard for him after getting used to sharing the confines of his body, but Venom's loneliness was of the kind that eats at your core slowly. Taking a piece here and then there over a slow build of time. It was a kind of torture that held most of its power in the way it was drawn out. To be in the presence of someone and still be unseen, no one deserved that. 

They knew Eddie was not to blame. If anyone was, it was themselves. They were the one who got themselves into this mess, it was their fault they were not strong enough. 

_Need to be stronger. For Eddie. Will rest up. Will get better. Will make up for the pain we have caused Eddie._

Even thinking thoughts like these tired the symbiote out. They silenced themselves, knowing patience was the answer.

*

Eddie got home a little after four in the morning. He was exhausted but didn't see any reason to go back to bed. Back to the nightmares. 

He settled in front of his laptop – it wasn't as fast as he'd like it to be, but at least he'd gotten it cheap – and set out to get some work done. The laptop took a while to start up, but once it did, it worked fine. It got the job done in the meantime while Eddie saved up for a better one. He didn't need anything special, just something he'd be able to write with. 

After the event of the rocket explosion, his old employer published his photos from Carlton Drake's lab, credited him, paid him for it, even asked if he wanted The Brock Report back. But Eddie had declined. After the piece on Drake was released, all the places he'd applied at that didn't want him, were now the ones calling _him_ asking when he could start. He declined them all too. 

He'd actually gotten really into writing lately and wanted to work somewhere he could write articles instead. He figured this probably meant his life was settling into something more calm, with the excitement and explosions of his old life behind him. The Brock Report was a part of that old life and had to be left behind. And so was Venom. It was time he let go and move on with his life. He couldn't let this plague him forever. Venom would have wanted him to toughen up, to shoulder through. So that's what he had to do. 

It was all much easier said than done. 

*

The nightmares continued. 

Eddie began to wait off sleep as long as his body would allow him, until he passed out, beyond exhaustion. This was becoming apparent in his waking life. His eyes were framed by dark circles and he stumbled often when he walked. He went around in a haze, not fully sure where he was or what he was doing. Most nights he was maybe getting three or four hours of sleep tops. And this had a big affect on his productivity. He’d set out to work on projects and find himself falling asleep halfway through. 

In fact, he was just about to leave to meet up with Anne today and sat on the couch to lace up his shoes. He decided to sit there for a minute before he’d leave and before he knew it, he was passed out and snoring. 

He woke abruptly to the banging of his door. 

“Eddie! Are you in there?”

Shit. It was Anne. Eddie scrambled to find his phone, checking the time, and saw that not only was it an hour past when he was suppose to meet Anne, but he had multiple texts, phone calls, and voicemails from her. He groaned and rubbed his eyes as he waddled over to the door. The banging became more persistent and Eddie huffed, “I’m coming, I’m coming.” 

He opened the door to find Anne’s face flushed with anger. That anger dissipated quickly though, turning to concern as she took in the sight of Eddie. 

“Jesus, Eddie. You look awful. Have you been sleeping?”

“Yeah, just was actually,” He said groggily. “Listen Annie, I’m sorry I didn’t show up. I promise I was ready to walk out the door. But I guess I just fell asleep without realizing.”

“Eddie, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay, I was worried when you weren’t picking up your phone.” She bit her lip, contemplating for a moment. “Maybe you should sit down, you look like you’re almost about to pass out.” 

She put her hands on his chest and pushed him out of the doorway and towards the couch he just woke up from. He stumbled, tripping over his feet before falling backward into the cushions. Anne plopped herself down next to him, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her palms, looking at Eddie expectantly. 

“What?” He said gruffly. 

“Eddie, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“What? Nothing, I’m fine.”

“Eddie, you are clearly _not_ fine.”

“I just need a couple more hours of shut eye. I’ll be right back up on my feet in no time.” 

“Eddie, maybe I should take you to see Dan. He could probably prescribe you with something to help with the insomnia.”

“Insomnia? What insomnia?” Anne gave him a look. “Listen, I’ve just really been digging into my work lately, that’s all. I’m perfectly fine.” But even as he said this, he could feel his eyes getting heavier. He gently let them shut a moment before realizing what was happening. His eyes shot open wide and he shook his head vigorously, sitting up straight now with his hands braced on his knees. 

“I’m taking you to Dan. Let’s go.” She got up, and headed for the opened door of Eddie’s apartment. He, having no place to argue after having already proving her point, followed. He locked up behind them and they headed down the stairs, unable to use the elevator thanks to the out of order sign that was indefinitely taped to the doors. He climbed into Anne’s car, already checking out as soon as his head hit the headrest. 

*

Eddie woke up to a stream of sunlight assaulting his eyes. He squinted and sat up, taking in his surroundings. He was on a couch, but not his own. He was at Anne’s. She must have used whatever psychic ability she had, somehow knowing he was awake, and popped into the room. 

“Hey there, sleeping beauty.” 

He squinted up at her. Even in pajamas, with her hair rumpled from sleep, she was beautiful. “How long was I out?”

“Oh, twelve hours, give or take.” 

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Damn.”

“Here.” She walked over and handed him a small container of pills. “For the insomnia.” 

He looked at them distastefully, hating that he needed them.

“Promised me you’ll take them?” She asked, and he couldn’t resist when her eyes got all big and concerned like that. 

“Yeah, I’ll take them,” he resigned. 

Her lips curved upwards in a small smile. “Thank you.” 

They were quiet for a moment. 

“Hey, did you ever find your wallet?” 

Anne groaned. “Ugh, yes. Let’s just please forget that night ever existed, okay?”

He gave a short chortle and then remembered the fight Dan and Anne seemed to be in the midsts of.

“Hey, are you and Dan… okay?” He asked, awkwardly. 

“What? Yeah, we’re fine.” Anne responded sharply. He knew what her tone meant. _This is territory I am not willing to discuss so drop it, bud._

Eddie nodded a few times. “Well, um, thanks. I guess I should probably get going.” 

He stood and stretched some. It was good to feel well rested for once. 

“Did you want to take any coffee with you? We have a pot ready.” 

“Sure, I’d love that.” 

*

Eddie got home and had one of the most productive nights since getting fired after the whole Carlton Drake fiasco. He felt very good about the prospects of where things were heading. It was like he could finally see the way out of what had been a dark and damp tunnel that stretched out for miles upon miles. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but he was making progress. And it was really all thanks to Anne. And, well, Dan too. 

They were great people and although there was a part of Eddie that still ached for what used to be between him and Anne, he knew he wanted her to be happy. That’s why he was concerned about them. He hoped Dan wasn’t going to do anything stupid, like he himself had done. Anne deserved so much better, and Eddie had thought if anyone was capable of that, it was Dan. The dude was practically the human equivalent of sunshine. But as the saying goes, you never know what happens behind closed doors. Still, Eddie prayed it was nothing like that and hoped for the best for them. 

When it started to get dark out, Eddie thought it a good time to take a break for the night, given all his productivity during the day. He was feeling particularly hungry and, looking at the clock, realized he’d skipped eating lunch. He didn’t have much in terms of food in the fridge right now and figured he could pop out somewhere for some quick take out. 

The way he wanted to go included a particularly sketchy alleyway, but it was a shortcut, so he took it anyway. He fell into an easy pace, leaves crunching underfoot. It wasn’t until he was halfway down the alleyway that he heard the bloodcurdling scream from behind him. He jumped, caught off guard by the unexpected noise, and turned around. A man was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. From this distance it looked like he’d been jabbed in the chest by a stake as wide as a dinner plate. 

He rushed forward to the man and stopped abruptly when the full figure came into view. A glinting knife was held loosely in the man’s hand, but that is not what gave Eddie pause. No, what stopped him was that the man lying on the ground was headless. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Venom's pov, anyone? Sorry if this reads weird. I wasn't really sure if I should just go for it with they/we pronouns for Venom, but I did. Sometimes I caught myself using he/him pronouns accidentally, so if you see any you want to point out, let me know! Also, sorry if this seems like a slow-burn. I was initially only going to make this a single chapter, but more and more ideas came to me and I'm just trying to pan them out without making them seem rushed. (Also Also, I don't have much knowledge of the comics so if any of this seems really weird in comparison, that's why.) Thanks to those who have commented and gave kudos so far! I really appreciate it!

**Author's Note:**

> I had originally planned for this to be one chapter, but it looks like it might be more? We'll see where this goes.


End file.
